IKEA's Newest Collaboration Includes Large Sketchbooks + T-Shirts

We have a new sneak peek of a limited edition collection coming to IKEA this June. Six talented artists and design teams with close links to the fashion industry were hand-picked to create the STUNSIG collection, which features prints on everything from fashion photography, digital couture, cartoons to hand drawings and collages that were applied to everyday items such as cushions, duvet covers, boxes and porcelain. The whole idea behind the collection was to turn something that is otherwise considered ordinary into something that is extraordinary. In addition to home furnishing accessories, the collection also includes a selection of t-shirts, tote bags and sketchbooks.

“With STUNSIG we wanted to present new artistic prints that are more unique, more fun and more daring! And apply them to selected IKEA products, turning them upside down and making them extraordinary.” - Henrik Most, Creative Leader for STUNSIG

The new STUNSIG collection launches at IKEA stores in Canada as of June 1st and will be available while supplies last (approximately 6-8 weeks). Let's take a look!

Artists:

Frédérique VernilletFrédérique Vernillet makes a point of varying the materials she uses and the collaborations she chooses. A graduate of Applied Art School in 2003, this critically acclaimed artist has spent the past several years creating prints and patterns for ready to wear fashion, tableware, advertisements, magazine editorials, and even wallpapers. Her work has been recognised by clients like Printemps Haussmann, Kerzon, and Aigle. Frédérique’s sharp, ultra-realistic drawing style and her poetic inspiration seeks to modernise the old-fashioned universe of figurative illustrations. Wild animals, colourful birds, luxuriant foliage and strange faces compose her surprising, enchanting and quirky universe. “For STUNSIG, I wanted to capture contrasts in my drawings, and wild animals are always exciting,” she says. “You want to pet them, but you’re also a little afraid of how they’ll react. They’re just as beautiful as they are terrifying – a strange feeling. By using both straight lines and graphic patterns, order and chaos can coexist on the same surface. I love how just a few lines can create so much emotion.”

Malcolm StuartMalcolm Stuart studied painting and drawing at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. “It wasn’t until I did an airbrush apprenticeship in a Jamaica Queens NYC mall that my vision came into focus,” he says. With the airbrush at his command, Malcolm became hooked on the thrill of having his art incorporated into people’s daily lives. His unique work, while rooted in drawing and painting, has evolved in the last decade to include clothing and objects of daily use. His output has been described as playful, bold in its use of shape and colour, and often utilizing the graphic expressiveness of a cartoon style. “I wanted to do something fun and graphically simple for the STUNSIG collection,” he says. “In all of my patterns, I’ve played with different activities and expressions. You’ll find cucumbers and flamingos in fun positions – and cat noses with muzzles, which form a repeating, pattern.” Malcolm says that creating vibrant images that are humorous, playful, odd, and curious, in as many ways and places as possible, is his ultimate goal.

Pinar & ViolaFor the past decade, Pınar Demirdağ and Viola Renate have created cutting-edge contemporary images, referred to as “custom-tailored highly aesthetic visual narratives that are timeless for their socially relevant conceptual content.” As an eclectic young duo, coming from Istanbul and Amsterdam, and currently living in Paris, they are considered among today’s leaders in avant-garde image creation, working with brands that are the leaders in their lines of expertise. “For the STUNSIG collection, we wanted to add extra beauty and warmth to the precious moments of every day,” says Pinar. “Our hope is that the motifs will inspire and stimulate people’s imaginations.” The pictures are critically described as advanced digital craftsmanship, and full of extraordinary details. “They’re reflections of the world around us, and express utopian, generous messages in order to spread goodness in the world,” says Viola. “We want people to feel excited and positive about the future, dare to trust the unknown, and see the beauty in diversity.”

Steven HarringtonCited as the leader of a contemporary Californian psychedelic-pop aesthetic, Los Angeles–based artist and designer Steven Harrington is best known for his bright, iconic style that encourages a two-way conversation between the artist and viewer. “Much of my work involves intuition,” he says. “For me, creating art is an experience similar to life: you really don’t know what will happen next. It’s a feeling I try to embrace in my work.” Indeed, there’s a timeless quality to his playful yet contemplative work, which is inspired by California’s mystique, vastly diverse landscape, and thriving mix of cultures. Embracing a multimedia approach, Harrington’s portfolio includes large-scale installations made of plaster and stone, hand-screened prints, limited-edition books, skateboards, and sculptures. “For the STUNSIG collection I wanted to create designs that brought a little bit of the unexpected indoors. Vibrant motifs that fill your home with a lot of memories and art. I hope that I’ve created something that you can return to time and time again for comfort and inspiration,” he concludes.

Team HawaiiMalin Grundström and Anne Gustavsson started working together as Team Hawaii in 2001 after graduating from the Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. They quickly established themselves by acquiring a highly reputable client base using trademark illustrations that were easily recognised for their strong sense of humour and unusual visual concepts. “We enjoy working with collages when we create patterns,” says Malin. “It’s a fun and relaxed method which means we can work together with the same image. It’s a bit like a chess game where someone adds and the other removes. We also used this working method when we created patterns for the STUNSIG collection,” says Anne. The result was a chaotic collage of a dream world bursting with imagination and playfulness – a happy and fun universe. This acclaimed duo has contributed to many of Sweden’s largest publications, and lately have extended their talents into wallpaper design and products like the Mother Nature™ Calendar. It would seem that the proverbial sky is the limit for Team Hawaii.

Tilde BayTilde Bay lives and works in Copenhagen, making everything from spectacular artistic dresses that have drawn the attention of people like Lady Gaga in New York to creations for the Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA) in Finland. This graduate of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts school of Design is also garnering critical acclaim for her work in commercial fashion design, digital print collections and artistic photography. When asked about the inspiration for her work, she responds simply: “I use the whole world and my imagination as a potential workspace area. Some of my motifs in the STUNSIG collection are handmade, others are photographs. They all have nature, colours and graphic elements in common. I don’t want subjects and motifs to be seen as remote islands. It’s the tension between the two that’s interesting.” Tilde Bay strives to dissolve the one-dimensional frame and instead work with the fusion between different medias. “I want the gap between the different motifs to stimulate associations and create new experiences,” she says.

“We want people to feel excited and positive about the future, dare to trust the unknown and see the beauty in diversity.” —Pinar & Viola

Bed Textiles
Includes duvet covers and pillowcases. (Twin $19.99).

“Birds and bees as pairs. It’s beautiful to think of these two different species coming together. That’s why we’ve given them the same size and status in the image. So different, but still a beautiful sight together.” —Pinar & Viola

Plates and Mugs
Made of feldspar porcelain, which makes them impact resistant and durable. (Mugs $3.99, Bowls $4.99 Plates $3.99)

“1+1=3. All prints have a strong visual story on their own. The moment you mix various prints, the scenery expands and creates new, unique and unexpected magical stories.” —Tilde Bay

Bags
Make it easy to find your things by using the pocket inside the bag. ($4.99)

“I wanted to capture contrasts in my drawings, and wild animals are always exciting. You want to pet them, but you’re also a little afraid of how they’ll react. They’re just as beautiful as they are terrifying – a strange feeling.” —Frédérique Vernillet

“I don’t want subjects and motifs to be seen as remote islands. It’s the tension between the two that’s interesting. Like here, when a resilient and prickly cactus stands alone in a desolate landscape.” —Tilde Bay

T-Shirts
All t-shirts are made from 100% cotton and come in small, medium and large sizes ($4.99 CAD)

The new STUNSIG collection launches at IKEA stores in Canada as of June 1st and will be available while supplies last (approximately 6-8 weeks).